Hello, everyone. My name is Carl and I have been scuba diving since 1978 but got my first open water certification in 1982. The equipment back then was from, like the 50’s and 60’s and was very sketchy to use. You had to really know what you were doing to avoid killing yourself due to equipment failure which happened a lot. This was in South Africa.

Since then I have received my Open Water 1 & 2, Specialty Diver Certification in Boat Diving, Stress & Rescue, Limited Visibility, Deep Diving, Underwater Navigation, Equipment Repair. I am not a Commercial Diver, just an enthusiastic Sports Diver.

I am now a certified Master Diver and I have a certification with HSA (Handicap Scuba Association) as a Training Assistant and I was an assistant instructor for the YMCA, teaching SSI (Scuba Schools International) classes. I have taught all kinds of people of all ages over the years. My first student had MS and was a paraplegic and we had an awesome time getting her certified. That was … wow …. back in 1986, lol.

I tell you all this because I absolutely LOVE scuba diving and I just wanted to share one of my passions with you.

I invite you to stay and read some of my blogs and check out the site in general. Have a great day and dive whenever you can and I will see you when you visit again.

Thank you for reading this post and if you would like to leave a comment, please feel free to post it below and I will be happy to respond to you.

12 Comments

The equipment from back then was really risky, I’m surprised they allowed it.

You have quite a few impressive certificates accumulated, and your love for this shows here as I read it. With all of your experience, anyone would feel safe having you as their instructor. I know I would be if I ever get the nerve to try scuba diving!

Thank u for your kind words, I really appreciate it. I would be honored to instruct u in scuba diving. 🙂 yes I do love the sport and have had a lot of great experiences from some really great dives and I have met some awesome people along the way. As for the equipment back in Africa, there really weren’t any rules and the equipment was all we had, lol. I wish u well and hope that maybe one day u give it try. 🙂

Hi Patsy. Yes back then the gear was not the greatest, lol. Today’s gear is super safe and easy to use so there is no need to worry about that. I hope u will give it a try sometime, maybe just try snorkeling first to see if u like the water. I wish u well and take care.

Amazing to find another love we share! Scuba is the best thing I do besides SEX LOOL. I have been diving since 1971 but didn’t get certified til 1979. I also taught SSI for years LOL I still hold my log book with the pages of specialty card to be my BIBLE LOL.
we are definately going to have to meet and get wet together. I have aslo worked with the disbled in the water ! Great minds think a lot LOL
My holy Grail is the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico. When I get the boat to frequent the area again I will show you!!

I Captained a liveaboard dive boat out of Key West to the Tortugas. Back to back 3 day trips 1 day off back to back 1 day off all summer AWESOME lol
The boat was the PLAYMATE our motto was “Go Down on the Playmate” LOL We specialized in spearfishing an lobstering!!! MMM MMM

Hi CaptDennis. What a great name for a boat! That is amazing that we have another common interest, lol. I would love to run a liveaboard boat, I think that would be an awesome experience, I am jealous, lol. Yes, I love diving and it will keep u in shape for sure. Wow, we have such similar experiences in diving, that is so great. I really enjoyed my time teaching for HSA and SSI. I even taught some YMCA classes for a bit, though those were run at 6 am so I had to be there at 4am which was a little early but I still had a great time. We should really get together some time for a great dive sometime. Hope to see u in the water soon.

Wow! Carl. You have qualifications galore! The training and teaching background that you have is fantastic! I hope that you always stay involved with this field. You have lots of knowledge to share with others. Your passion for this sport is very revealed and that’s a feature which makes you a trusted trainer and teacher. I love your site.

Hi Jen. Lol, just s few qualifications, there are so many more and I forgot a few myself like I am Nitrox certified as well. I think I will be involved with diving until the end, lol. I really do love the sport. Thanks, I am glad you are enjoying the site. Come back soon and I will have more articles for you to read and enjoy.